


waiting

by Areiton



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Afterlife, Canon Compliant, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, M/M, Parental Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Protective Tony Stark, Slash if you squint, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Areiton/pseuds/Areiton
Summary: There is, he learns, very little to do, but wait.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	waiting

He waits. 

It’s peaceful, which he doesn’t expect. Strange, because he never liked waiting, never liked being  _ still _ . Natasha waits at his side, for a time, and she makes the time slip by faster, he thinks. 

Time is a strange thing, here in the midst of nothing, in this in between time and space. 

It’s not what he wanted, but it’s what he expected, when Steve and the others showed up on the edge of the lake, the place he felt closest to peace. 

He knew what he was doing, knew the price. 

He doesn’t regret it. 

~*~ 

Steve comes first. 

Old and young and familiar and strong, a multitude contained in his one body. 

“You cheated,” he says, and Steve smiles, and it’s a familiar smirk and it makes him ache. 

“They’re happy,” Steve says, and his eyes are fixed in the distance, where he is aware others wait. 

He thinks he should, but--

“I’ll wait,” he says. 

~*~ 

There is, he learns, very little to do, but wait. 

There are bright pops of not-waiting, when a familiar face wanders past and they touch upon him and his lonely perch, but there’s a pang of regret to those, to seeing the ones he called friends, always with their eyes fixed in the distance. 

“You could come,” Happy tells him. “Boss, please.”

He shakes his head, his heart twisting in a way he thought had stopped when he died. 

“Not yet,” he says, what he says most often. 

~*~ 

Pepper takes years that pass in what feels like eons and heartbeats, and she’s beautiful, wrinkled and lovely with white hair and a smile so wide it hurts. 

She hugs him and for the first time, he wants to go, wants to follow where she’s tugging him. 

“Come with me, love,” she coaxes. “The kids are wonderful. The world is safe.” 

He stares at her hand wrapped around his and he’s tired and tired and lonely. 

But there’s a promise on the tip of his tongue, and he shakes his head and kisses her hair. “I’ll wait.” 

~*~ 

Seeing Morgan again breaks his heart. 

His baby is a woman now, and too young, too fucking young. She sits with him, her pretty head on his shoulder and tells him about growing up, about Uncle Rhodey and the War Machine and the Iron Heart. She grew up to be a brighter star than he could ever hope to be. 

He thinks the brightest stars burn out the fastest.

“Are you going to wait?” she asks, and he tips a smile to her, because Morgan always could see through him, just like her mother. 

“Do you mind?” 

She shakes her head and says, “I’ll wait with you, for a while.” 

~*~ 

She drifts away after a time, and he’s alone again, but he’s not lonely now. There’s a promise in her presence and absence, and it makes waiting...easier. 

~*~ 

“Did you take care of them, honeybear?” he asks, huddled in the arms of the friend he’s missed for so long he doesn’t remember what it feels like, to not miss him. 

“Yeah, peacock. Of course I did.” 

He peeks up at Rhodey, and he doesn’t ask the question he asked Morgan and Pepper and May and Happy--he doesn’ ask if he was happy. 

He doesn’t want to hear Rhodey lie to him.

~*~ 

Rhodey doesn’t leave. 

It doesn’t surprise him. 

And it does, because sometimes, he watches Rhodey, watches for that distant seeing gaze that they all get. 

But it never does come. Rhodey’s gaze stays fixed on him, like it had so often been in life. 

Together, they wait. 

~*~ 

When it happens. 

When it happens, Rhodey is petting his hair and he’s half dozing, content in a way he hasn’t been since before he died. 

When it happens, he’s quiet and smiling and waiting--

“Mr. Stark?” Peter says, his voice bright and young and achingly familiar, and Tony grins, wider than he has in longer than he can remember. 

His boy is younger than he remembers, and older too, and there are shadows in his eyes, a world weary ancientness that belies the boyish grin and the way he stares at Tony like Tony can still solve all his problems. 

His boy. The one he died to bring back, the one he never got to tell--

Everything. 

All the years of waiting, so he could remind his son that he is loved, that Tony is proud of him, that it was worth it, everything it cost, to give Peter a long and happy life. 

He pulls Peter close, and he closes his eyes. 

There’s time, now. The waiting is done. Rhodey is patient at his shoulder and Peter is warm in his arms and his family waits in the distance for him, where his gaze is beginning to go. 

“You kept me waiting, kid,” he says, and Peter laughs. 


End file.
